Basic Macramé Knots: The 8 Knots Every Beginner Should Learn First

Macramé can look intricate, but most patterns are built from a surprisingly short list of knots. Learn eight of them well and you can follow the majority of plant hanger, wall hanging and bracelet patterns you will come across. This guide explains the basic macrame knots in the order most makers learn them, what each one is for, and how to practice so your work looks neat and even.

Before you tie: three terms you need

Patterns describe knots using a few words over and over. Knowing them makes every instruction easier to follow.

• Working cords are the cords that move and wrap to form the knot.
• Filler cords (also called core or anchor cords) stay still in the center while working cords knot around them.
• Holding cord is a cord, dowel or ring that other cords are tied onto or knotted over, especially for hitches.

You will also see sinnet, which simply means a chain of the same knot repeated. A “sinnet of 10 square knots” is ten square knots tied one below the other.

Setting up a practice station

You do not need much. Cut eight lengths of soft 3 mm to 5 mm cotton cord, each about 1 meter (roughly 40 inches) long, and attach them to a wooden dowel, a clothes hanger or even a pencil taped to a table. Soft single-strand cotton is ideal for practice because you can untie and re-tie it many times. Hang your dowel at chest height so your arms are relaxed, which makes tension more consistent.

1. Lark’s head knot

The lark’s head is how most projects begin. It mounts a folded cord onto a dowel or ring.

1. Fold a cord in half to make a loop.
2. Place the loop over the front of the dowel, pointing down behind it.
3. Pull both cord ends through the loop and tighten.

The smooth bar faces the front and the two ends hang down. The reverse lark’s head is the same knot started from behind the dowel, so the horizontal bump shows at the front instead. Many wall hangings use it for texture along the top edge.

2. Square knot

If macramé has a signature knot, it is this one. The square knot uses four cords: two outer working cords and two filler cords in the middle.

1. Cross the left cord over the fillers and under the right cord, forming a shape like the number 4.
2. Bring the right cord behind the fillers and up through the loop on the left. Pull both working cords evenly. This is a half knot.
3. Now reverse it: cross the right cord over the fillers and under the left cord, forming a backwards 4.
4. Bring the left cord behind the fillers and up through the loop on the right. Tighten.

A correct square knot lies flat with a small vertical bump on one side. If your work starts twisting, you have probably repeated the same half instead of alternating sides.

3. Half knot (spiral)

The half knot is simply the first half of a square knot. Tie it repeatedly, always starting from the same side, and the sinnet naturally twists into a spiral. Plant hangers often use spirals for their arms, and they look impressive for very little effort. Let the cords rotate as they twist rather than fighting them, and flip the cords over every few knots so they do not tangle.

4. Alternating square knot

This is not a new knot but a pattern that turns square knots into fabric. Tie a row of square knots across all your cords in groups of four. On the next row, skip the first two cords and tie square knots using two cords from one knot and two from its neighbor. Row three returns to the original grouping. The result is a net-like mesh used in bags, garments and the body of many wall hangings. Keep the vertical spacing between rows consistent; using a ruler or your finger width as a guide helps a lot.

5. Half hitch

A half hitch wraps one working cord once around a holding cord. On its own it is small and can slip, so it is usually tied in pairs or chains. An alternating half hitch chain, where two cords take turns hitching around each other, makes a pretty zigzag cord often used for straps and plant hanger arms.

6. Double half hitch

The double half hitch (sometimes called a clove hitch) is two half hitches tied in the same direction. It is the knot behind the raised lines you see running horizontally or diagonally across wall hangings.

1. Hold one cord taut across the others as your holding cord, horizontally or at an angle.
2. Take the next cord and wrap it over and around the holding cord, then pull it up through its own loop.
3. Repeat the same wrap a second time next to the first. That is one double half hitch.
4. Move on to the next cord and repeat all the way across.

The key is keeping the holding cord taut and at a steady angle. Tilt it downward and you get diagonal double half hitches, which form leaves, chevrons and diamonds.

7. Overhand knot

You already know this one: make a loop and pass the end through it. In macramé the overhand knot is used to secure the ends of fringe, add stoppers under beads and join cords temporarily. It is simple but useful, and a row of overhand knots at the same height gives a tidy finish to fringe.

8. Gathering (wrapping) knot

The gathering knot binds a bundle of cords together, most often at the top and bottom of plant hangers or to create tassels.

1. Take a separate cord and lay a loop along the bundle, with the loop pointing down and a short tail pointing up.
2. Wrap the long end tightly around the bundle and the loop, working downward, as many times as you like.
3. Thread the end through the bottom loop.
4. Pull the top tail until the loop disappears under the wraps, then trim both ends close.

How to practice so it sticks

Make a sampler

Rather than tying random knots, make a sampler strip on one dowel: a row of lark’s heads, a few rows of alternating square knots, a spiral, a line of double half hitches and a gathered tassel at the bottom. It becomes a handy reference you can hang by your workspace.

Focus on tension

Even tension matters more than speed. Pull each knot snug but not tight, and try to use the same pull every time. Compare the left and right sides of your sampler; if one looks looser, slow down on that side.

Learn to untie

Undoing a knot is part of the craft. Soft cotton makes it easy, and a blunt tapestry needle or a crochet hook can help loosen stubborn knots without fraying the cord.

Where to go next

Once these eight knots feel comfortable, add the barrel (coil) knot, the diagonal half hitch and the reverse lark’s head to your repertoire. The beginner guide in our collection, Macramé for Beginners, teaches fourteen knots including these, then puts them to work in a hanging light, a plant holder and a bracelet. If you want to step up to statement décor afterward, Modern Macramé is the natural next book.

Ready to turn your sampler into real projects? Explore The Macramé Bible for step-by-step patterns that build on these same knots, from your first plant hanger to jewelry, bags and garments.